UTC - Chapters 18-28

Stowe shifted back to the southern setting. Miss Ophelia was greatly organized in her Vermont home, so when she saw the St. Clare house in such disarray, she immediately set to the task of cleaning up. The household cook was furious at Miss Ophelia's actions. She complained to St. Clare but he remained indifferent, as always, to the waste and deceit of his servants. Tom attempted to evangelize old Prue, but his efforts seemed to be in vain. After the death of Prue, Miss Ophelia and St. Clare had a long discussion on the ethics, or lack thereof, of slavery. St. Clare defined slavery as “my brother... is ignorant and weak, and I am intelligent and strong, - because I know how, and can do it, - therefore I may steal all he has, keep it, and give him only such and so much as suits my fancy... [My slave] shall do my will, and not his all the days of his mortal life, and have such chance of getting into heaven, at last, as I find convenient” (331). St. Clare admitted to wanting to do something to stop slavery but he was too lazy to. St. Clare bought a slave to assist Miss Ophelia. Miss Ophelia was given the chance to teach the child in whatever way seemed fit. Though several attempts were made, Topsy was a very unruly child and resisted all civility. She was a regular thief and took revenge on those that treated her wrongly, but hid behind kind St. Clare if she was in trouble. Chloe, Tom's wife, received a letter from him asking about when the money for his redemption would be sent. The Shelbys didn't have the resources to pay for him at that time, but Chloe asked to be hired out to a confectioner. She would make enough money in five or six years to earn back her husband. The Shelbys agreed to that arrangement, much to Chloe's delight. In chapter twenty-two, Eva began showing signs of illness. She became more frail than before but continued to act in the manner to which she was so accustomed. Eva began teaching Mammy to read, though Marie disapproved. Eva's cousin, Henrique, was very much like his father. He whipped servants and was severely unkind to them for the smallest mistakes and mishaps. Eva asked him not to be so harsh to the servants because he would frighten them into lying. St. Clare admitted to his brother his desire to act against slavery but was unsure of himself. His brother, Alfred, confronted him, "If I thought as you do, I should do something." Eva's health took a turn for the worse. In this time period, the doctors could not do much for those with TB, so she had to fight on her own. Marie finally took notice of her daughter's truly ill health but used it as an excuse for her own medical problems. Because she knows she is dying, Eva had a long talk with her father about her passing away and slavery. This chapter was extremely moving. Topsy has been very bad since she was brought to the St. Clares home. Finally, Eva was able to lead her playmate to Christ by showing her the love of the Savior for all people. Topsy promised to try to be good but knew she couldn't do it on her own. Topsy brought Eva a small bouquet of two flowers, one dark, one white, as a gift one morning. Perhaps it was a symbol of the friendship between the slave and her master. Eva gave all the slaves a lock of her curly hair by which to remember her. She died just after midnight. This chapter was the most touching of all. Stowe captured everything in the most expressive language. It was the most beautiful story of death that I have ever read. Eva was buried at the St. Clares' summer house. St. Clare was unaware of everything around him but was obsessed with sorrow over the loss of his precious child. Tom again tried to witness to his master and prayed for him, but seemed to be unsuccessful. Miss Ophelia tells Topsy that she can love the child just as much as her recently departed friend had. St. Clare spoke to Tom about giving the man his freedom. Tom was overjoyed but would stay as long as St. Clare needed him, until he became a Christian. St. Clare also gave Miss Ophelia legal possession of her pupil Topsy. Later that night, St. Clare was accidentally stabbed whilst trying to breakup a fight. The mortal wound reunited him with his mother and daughter.

UTC - Chapters 11-17

George Harris was light skinned like his wife and able to travel about the country under no suspicion. Acting like a man of Spanish descent, George obtained a room at a tavern for himself and another runaway slave. While there, his former employer and friend, Mr. Wilson, approached him. The two discussed George's plan for escape, though Mr. Wilson tried all he could to convince George not to run. Wilson agreed to give Eliza a pin for George, in case the husband never saw his wife again. Mr. Haley went to a slave auction and bought some more property to resell. In doing so, he separated a mother from her son. Later, he would part a mother from her infant child and drive the woman to suicide. Haley was indifferent and put her death under losses in his account book. Stowe used these plot points to soften the reader's heart toward the oppressed creatures. The Underground Railroad has been a subject of interest for several years. People would risk their own lives to assist slaves on their way to Canada. Stowe draws on the heroism of that system in chapter thirteen, when some Quakers took in Eliza and Harry. I enjoyed the scene in chapter fourteen that Stowe described with wit. After Tom rescued Eva St. Clare from the river, the ladies on the riverboat competed "as to who should do the most things to make a disturbance, and to hinder her recovery in every way possible (234)." Although the entire book was heartbreaking, Stowe occasionally gave the reader something to chuckle at. Mr. St. Clare, Eva's father, bought Tom from Haley as a playmate for Eva and as a coachman for his wife, Marie. Stowe formally introduced the reader to the St. Clare’s and Miss Ophelia in chapter fifteen. Mr. St. Clare was easy going and uninterested in anything that didn't involve his daughter. Marie St. Clare was extremely self-centered and pampered, but always complained of some ailment or another. Miss Ophelia, St. Clare’s cousin from Vermont, was an abolitionist and strict organizer. She came to New Orleans to assist Marie in her household duties. Marie complained to Miss Ophelia about the way St. Clare treated his servants. She believed they should be put down and made to know their place in society. Miss Ophelia couldn't understand how St. Clare could own servants and treat them the way he did. The St. Clares and Ophelia discussed slavery’s relevance to religion and church. In chapter seventeen, Stowe focused again on the Harris's. George, Eliza, Harry, and some friends set off for Canada but were forced to detour into a range of rocks by a band of pursuers headed by Tom Loker. George, however, was armed and shot Loker when he attempted to catch them. The rest of the whites ran away, though some attempted to help Loker. The fugitives took Loker to the home of a Quaker, where he was well taken care of.

UTC - Chapters 6-10

When slave trading Mr. Haley discovered his property had gone missing, he immediately tried to pursue it. However, Stowe added humor to the story through a predicament. With their mistress's prompting, two slaves, Sam and Andy, played tricks on Mr. Haley's horse. The delay allowed Eliza and Harry to get further away from his new master. Eliza, because she was a quadroon, appeared to be a lady out on business. She reached the Ohio River, but because of ice on the river, she was forced to stay in a tavern until a boat could get through. Mr. Haley was finally able to begin his search but was tricked by Sam and Andy into taking the wrong road. Mr. Haley eventually reached the tavern but Sam "accidentally" lost his hat, causing a ruckus that allowed Eliza and her son to quickly escape across the dangerous, icy river. In chapter eight, Stowe introduced two new characters, Loker and Marks, who agreed to search for Haley's lost property. Again, Stowe mirrored the character's personality in his appearance. Loker was large and sturdy with a seemingly unmovable heart. Marks was small and suspicious, like a mouse. Sam the slave recalled the events of Eliza's escape in an exaggerated fashion for the edification of the rest of Shelby's slaves. Stowe developed the Bird household to allow the reader to understand the characters but, because they only appeared in chapter nine, she didn't reveal too much detail. Stowe, in this chapter, began one of several "attacks" on the reader's heart. Tom attempted to calm his wife's fears to no avail. Haley carried off Uncle Tom and had some fetters altered to fit his new slave's legs. Young Master George Shelby talked with Tom and gave him a silver dollar, which hung around Tom's neck for most of his life. George also promised to buy Tom back as soon as was financially possible.

UTC - Chapters 1-5

Stowe began her publication with a thorough description of Mr. Haley. His mannerisms, speech, and personality were reflected in his appearance. Stowe gave her characters an amount of depth to aid the reader in categorizing the various personas within the book. Mr. Shelby was not given a detailed description here because Stowe chose to gradually develop his character. George and Eliza had been married after they met at a factory. They attempted to have children on several occasions but only Harry survived. Eliza became very attached to her only remaining child. This circumstance was common in pre-Civil War America. Slaves, according to their owners, were incapable of having emotions. Mr. Harris would not allow George to see his wife because she was owned by another man and he wanted George to remarry on his own plantation. Stowe brilliantly presented George's anger toward his master in his dialogue with Eliza. George decided to run away rather than be tempted to do something evil. Stowe described the cabin for which the book was named with small, inviting details. The reader first meets the main character of Uncle Tom in chapter four whilst he is learning to write. Stowe did not neglect to include a "meetin'," or a Bible study of sorts, in her book. Meetings were commonly held among slaves. Another husband and wife dialogue revealed Mrs. Shelby's abolitionist feelings. Eliza overheard their conversation about selling Tom and her son to pay off a debt owed to Mr. Haley, so she took Harry and ran away. Uncle Tom decided to stay to carry out Mr. Shelby's wishes and go with his new master.

UTC - Background

Uncle Tom's Cabin has been assigned to countless high school and college students to read, study, and write about. The book tells the tale of Tom - an honest, hardworking, Christian slave - and his struggles with white slaveholders. I was recently appointed the task of reading this classic, along with some background material, and will soon have to write several essays on it. Harriet Beecher Stowe broke the traditional boundaries for women writers in the nineteenth century. Women didn't write about political subjects and they tended to use male pen-names. Her literature was not flawless but her ability to write in several forms of dialect excused her poor grammar. The south was repulsed by the accusations Stowe inferred. Southerners feared the utterly appalling truth about their system of governing slaves, so much so that they punished the inquisitive. The book was banned and anyone who possessed it was arrested. Despite the prohibitions in the South, Uncle Tom's Cabin gained extreme popularity in the northern US and throughout England. Stowe's tale of the abuses of slaveholders became the bestselling book of the nineteenth century, second only to the Bible. Impressive. To be continued...